Dusk & Dawn
by tressasnyx
Summary: Sixteen years have passed since the fateful War of Five Kings, placing Daenerys Targaryen on the Iron Throne while the North is ruled separately by Annablyth and Robb Stark. The Stark children are growing older everyday, and soon they shall be married. However, nothing in Westeros is peaceful for long. (Kings & Queens Book Two) (Need to read Iron & Gold first)
1. Eddard l

Prince Eddard Stark never knew his namesake.

His father often told him the story of the first Eddard Stark, and how he indirectly caused the War of Five Kings. His namesake was the reason why his father was king, why Daenerys Targaryen was on the throne.

_Why Cate will be queen_, he thought bitterly. It didn't matter. Even if he became king one day, which he would, Eddard couldn't break that betrothal unless he wanted to torch the North.

Eddard suddenly felt a sharp pain at the back of his head, and rubbed his dark hair. "Ow!" He complained, "What was that for?"

"You weren't paying attention," Rickon said. "Now try again," Eddard furrowed his eyebrows in concentration before going into his stance, holding his sword in his right hand. "Too tightly," Uncle Rickon said, hitting Ed's hand with the but of a sword. Grumbling, the prince loosened his grip on the sword, and shifted his weight.

Another hit, this time to his waist. "Even out your weight. A breeze could knock you over,"

Ed dropped his pose and his sword, and groaned. "Ugh! This is impossible!"

From behind him, he heard a very unladylike snort. "Like this, numb nuts," Cate said, picking up a sword. Her green eyes narrowed as her body went into perfect stance, and did the move that Ed had failed at with an annoying amount of ease. "See?" Rickon said, raising his eyebrows, "Your little sister is better than you,"

Ed groaned again, and picked up the sword before Cate's eyes widened. "Shit!" she exclaimed, looking past her brother. Ned turned his head lazily, before cursing as well. When he looked back, all he could see was his sister's braid bouncing on her back as she ran to the Godswood.

"Ned," Annablyth greeted, smiling as she made her way down to the courtyard. "How is the training?" Ed had to try very hard not to roll his eyes. No matter how subtle Annablyth thought she was being, Ed could see her stormy eyes scanning the crowd of trainees. "Eddard needs a lot more training," Rickon said in his gruff voice. "He just needs to focus,"

"Yes," she muttered, straining her neck. "That's lovely," Ed closed his eyes in dismay when he saw his mother's eyes narrow. "Catelyn Stark!" she screamed, and started storming to where Cate had run off to. Without even looking, Ed could hear tree branches rustling, and imagined Cate's face when she was making up a lie. A moment later, there were noises of scolding and a loud complaint.

Chuckling, Ed went back to his dummy.

• • •

Rickon slapped his nephew's back a little harder than necessary, murmuring a, "Focus harder," and walking off to find his wife.

Without anyone watching, Ed was finally able to release the eye roll that had been pleading to be let out.

His Uncle Rickon was great, and fun, and fierce, but he was a little rough. Then again, he had been raised in the midst of a war. Both his parents were down in the crypts, and Ed couldn't imagine living without his father or his mother.

After bathing and dressing, Ed made his way to his sister's room. He knocked, once, before she opened it. She silently stepped aside, letting him enter.

Cate shut the door, bolted it, and Ed smiled in anticipation.

"That bitch!" She shouted. Ed sat himself down, and nodded. "She thinks she can just control my life!" Then, making her voice way too high, she imitated, "'Catelyn. You are to be queen of the Six Kingdoms one day, and you must act like it.'" Cate dramatically groaned, before flopping on the bed. From his position, Ed couldn't see her expression, but he imagined it was sorrowful, "I don't want to be queen," she said, her voice quivering her so slightly. "Arlette should be queen. Gods know that she wants it enough,"

Cate sat up and looked at her only brother in his eyes, emeralds meeting topazes. "Will I be a good queen?" Her whisper was so heartbroken that Ed brought her to him, hugging her and stroking her brown hair. "Of course Cate," he said.

They stayed like this, but Ed knew that no tears would leak out. If Cate was anything, it was strong.

"Come on," he said, gingerly peeling the brunette away from him. "You have to get dressed," Cate rolled her eyes and ranted, "That's also ridiculous! Men just need to put on some tunics and breeches, which are also made by women, mind you, but women have to slave for an hour to look anywhere near acceptable!"

Chuckling, Ed left her alone.

He went to his own chambers, and changed into a grey tunic with silver direwolves on his shoulders. His black hair touched the tops of his ears, and it took him a while to muse it until it looked nice.

When he decided he looked princely, he made his way down to the courtyard. His mother was shouting orders and flitting about, her skirts brushing the ground. "Oh gods, put away that crossbow! We are not displaying our weapons here!"

"Mother," He said politely, walking up to her. She turned, a smile on her lips, looking him up and down. "You look lovely Ned. Very acceptable,"

Ed only let his mother call him Ned. Ned was the solemn lord that resided in the crypts; Ed was the promising heir to the North. "Have you seen Cate? She needs to be ready. Knowing her, she'll choose a leather tunic and call it acceptable," Annablyth shook her heads, her black curls bobbing.

"I'll go check on her," Ed promised, before his mother scurried away to yell at a servant boy.

On the way to his sister's chambers, he ran into Arlette. "Ed," she greeted, smiling. Her glimmering curls were pinned up attractively, and her purple gown looked stunning on her pale form. "Go get Cate ready," Ed said, before adding, "Please,"

"As my prince commands," she mocked, curtseying and leaving. Ed chuckled, before turning and heading to his father's solar. "Come in," his father called, and Ed walked into the study.

"Mother says that they shall be here soon," he said, crossing his arms and leaning against the doorframe.

Robb Stark sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Blasted woman," he said under his breath. Looking up, he added, "I love her anyway. Go get your sister,"

"Which one?" Ed asked. "All three," Robb said, before ushering his son out.

"Cate. You are to meet your future household. You should at least look... Decent." Ed could hear the sharp edge in the voice, and he knew that a fight would start soon.

"It's not like they care about me. They just pretend."

A loud gasp.

"You should have some respect!"

Ed started jogging, and found Thea looking aghast in a blue dress, standing across from Cate, who was wearing a simple green gown. "Hello dear sisters," Ed said, beaming at them. "You both look lovely." He took each of their arms, effectively separating the sisters.

Thea opened her plump mouth to say something, but he quickly inquired, "Where is dear Arlette?"

Arlette suddenly appeared, stepping from a hallway. Her face was a little flushed, and her skirt a little crinkled. "Here Ed! Sorry, got lost,"

Ed almost scoffed, but Arlette sent him a meaningful look, so he kept his mouth shut. She fixed her skirt, and in a moment, she looked perfectly composed.

The four of them made their way to the courtyard with minimal bickering, and they stood in our designated spots. Rorin stood a few feet behind Ed, flirting with Arlette.

"Honestly Princess, if you weren't so... High rank, I might-" Ed sent him a glare, which quickly shut him up.

Then, the trampling of horses quickly caught everyone's attention. Everybody looked up and saw the large entourage starting over the hill. The Starks fixed their posture, but it was another ten minutes until she rode into the gate.

Ed didn't really remember Juliana Lolliston, as she had left when he was a babe to rule the Westerlands. She was beautiful, with softly curling blond hair and barely a wrinkle. When she dismounted, she smiled and immediately hugged her son, Rorin. She then turned to her friend, Annablyth, but Ed wasn't paying attention.

His eyes were on the girl that followed.

Her golden hair was slightly wind blown, and her pale face flushed. Her horse was a strong chestnut mare, and she wore a blue and copper riding gown. Even from his position on the ground, Ed could see that her eyes were a dark blue.

This was Dimia Lolliston.

Dimia dismounted like a true rider, like Cate might, and walked up. Juliana stood back and put a hand on her daughter, beaming. "Your Graces, I would like you to meet my daughter, Dimia,"

Dimia curtseying before saying, "It is an honour." Her voice was like twinkling bells.

Ed grew up knowing that he would marry Dimia. He knew of their story, of how Daenerys appointed them Wardens of the West. Juliana had rebuilt Casterly Rock, remaining it Lolliston Perch after their new crest; a bronze bird on a field of blue. He also knew that Juliana had remarried to a Lannister to secure her claim of the Westerlands. Lancel, he believed. Together they had twins, Tya and Loren, ten. He could see them next to their father, in the background. The trio were all golden haired, but Tya had her mother's eyes.

"This is my boy, Eddard," Robb said, clenching his hand on his son's shoulder, bringing him out of his thoughts. He put on his most dazzling smile and said, "The honour is all mine, my lady,"

Dimia did not seemed bedazzled.

Instead, her eyes only held amusement. "Yes," she murmured. Robb went on the introduce Catelyn, Thea, and Arlette before commanding servants to show the guests to their rooms.

Annablyth personally escorted Juliana, and they were already laughing like old times. Sighing, Ed watched as his betrothed made her way inside.

_Was it just me, or did her hips purposely sway a little too much?_


	2. Catelyn l

As soon as the guests disappeared, Catelyn sped off to her room and changed out of the itchy green gown, instead opting for the familiar comforts of boiled leather. She messily plaited her tree brown hair, before opening her window. A great tree brushed upon the glass at night, it's wooden fingers tapping. When she was a child, Ed had told her that the Others were coming to get her.

"Uncle Jon didn't kill all the Others," he would whisper to her. "There was an Other queen, whose name could freeze a man's heart. She dressed in ice and had hair the color of snow and eyes like frozen lakes. The queen saw her entire people slaughtered with blades of dragonglass, so she snuck past the Wall to kill all the Starks, to wreck revenge on Jon Snow,"

Cate had hanged on to every word, eyes wide and mouth open. Then, his entire demeanor would change and he would beam and say, "Goodnight Cate,"

She would pull the covers up to her chin, shivering while staring at the window as it went _tap tap tap_. Jon Snow visited in a few weeks, and Cate had asked him about the Other queen. He never laughed, not really, but he did smile slightly. "No Cate," he had said, "There was no Other queen," She had been furious at her brother, refusing to talk to him for two months. Yet she had retold the tale to Arlette and Thea when they were young. Arlette hadn't believed her, and could tell she was lying. Arlette had always been too smart.

The tree scared her no longer, but even after Jon's truth the scraping kept her awake. So to prove to herself that she was no longer afraid, Cate set out to climb the tree. She found that she loved it, and that was the downfall of dresses for her.

Today she clambered onto the wood, relishing in the feel of bark against her hands. Catelyn made it down in record time, looked around, before scurrying to the Godswood. There weren't many people about, and all of them simply thought her some dirty serving girl. Cate always seemed to be a magnet for dirt and grub, much to the dispair of her mother. No matter how many baths she took, the second she stepped outside, suddenly it was all for naught.

After walking for a while and jumping over a few overturned logs, she made it to the clearing. It was secluded, a fifteen minute walk from the entrance of the Godswood. The trees were tall and fun to climb, but Cate opted to sit down on the cool grass and started to pick at the foliage. When she heard a rustle of leaves, she stayed put. When a pair of hands covered her eyes, she stayed put. Only when a whisper came did she move.

"M'lady,"

She whipped around, her green eyes meeting his warm brown ones. "I thought we were on a first name basis now." They were _both_ cross legged and facing each other. "What did I do to earn m'lady's affections?" He asked mockingly. Cate pressed her lips to his, and she could feel his smile. "You did that," she whispered when she pulled away. Their foreheads touched, and Cate liked to imagine that their souls left their bodies with their breaths, and that they were sharing souls.

"Princess Aerri didn't arrive with the entourage," she realized aloud as she lay next to Symon. "So?" he remarked, brushing his calloused thumb lightly over her hand. "She was supposed to come,"

"So?" He asked again. "I was actually looking forward to meet her," Cate said wistfully. "Or mostly her dragon."

Symon sat up, alert as a soldier. "A dragon?"

She sat up next to him. "Yes. Don't you know?" He shook his light curls. Cate grinned, "Well, I'll have to tell you the tale of the Rebirth of the Dragons." He snorted. "Shall I sit on your lap you are my wet nurse?" She laughed.

"I'll sit on your lap, though,"

So Symon crossed his legs, and she wrapped her own legs around his waist.

"Let's start at the beginning.

"Daenerys Targaryen is the daughter of Aerys the Mad and Rhaella the Sad. She was born on Dragonstone while a storm raged on. By this time her father, older brother, good sister, niece and nephew had been killed. The Sack of King's Landing had already happened as well. Rhaella died after giving birth, and some loyalists smuggled Daenerys and Viserys to the Free Cities of Essos. For the next years, Viserys protected his sister as they traveled Essos. He tried to raise support, earning him the title 'Viserys the Beggar'.

"Finally, Magister Illyrio of Pentos brought them to his manse. There he arranged the marriage between Daenerys and Khal Drogo, a warlord of the Dothraki. At the wedding feast, Daenerys retrieved the three dragon eggs. Months later, now pregnant, her husband died of a wound. Oh! And at this point, Viserys was killed by her own husband. Anyways, Daenerys burned the woman responsible for Drogo's death. They say she placed the eggs on the pyre, before walking into the flame. Witnesses claim she turned into the flame, and danced with death and life and ghosts before giving birth to Rhaego. When the fire burned away, she was unharmed with a babe in her arms and three dragons fighting for her breast,"

Symon started to kiss her neck, and laughed into it, shooting vibrations through her.

"The rest of the khalasar traveled through the Red Waste, until they reached Qarth. There, Daenerys married again to Xaro Xhoan Daxos. He was killed, and Daenerys received all his wealth. With it she brought seven thousand soldiers to Slaver's Bay. There she bought Unsullied, and conquered the Bay. In Meereen she birthed Princess Aerri, daughter of Xaro. Then my mother's envoy came, and Daenerys, with her now full grown dragons, took back the Seven Kingdoms. To make peace with the Westerlands, she married again to Rupert Brax. Then she had her son, Jaemon. Rupert died, and she remarried to Mandon Vaith of Dorne. She birthed by him two daughters, Daelle and Maeya.

"Then, each of her dragons laid at least one egg. Drogon lay two, Rhaegal one, and Viserion two as well. According to rumor, Daenerys let each of her children choose one egg. Rhaego took a red egg, Aerri a purple one, Jaemon a one of cerulean, and Maeya and Daelle both chose white ones.

"They say Rhaego placed his egg in a brazier, day and night. Jaemon, Maeya and Daelle took theirs everywhere with them. But Aerri instead moved to Dragonstone, and took Rhaegal, it's sire, with her. There, Princess Aerri sealed herself in an ancient chamber with the egg and the dragon. For ten days and ten nights, Rhaegal burned Aerri and the egg. When the princess emerged, her hair had been burned away, but she had a beautiful periwinkle dragon with veins of white. She named the dragon Lyth,"

He smiled against her neck. "So Princess Aerri is the only one who has hatched her dragon yet?"

"Yes. Now Lyth is large enough to ride. They say the two never part,"

"How unfortunate," he exclaimed, pulling back. "I won't be able to see a dragon in my lifetime," Cate laughed.

"Princess Catelyn!" Her eyes widened, and she hastily pushed Symon off. "Go!" She hissed, pushing him away. Before he ran off, he kissed her. "Till next time,"

Vanyssa Crane appeared, dark hair tumbled about. "Princess Catelyn! A raven has come. Her Grace commands your presence,"

In theory, Vanyssa was a companion and handmaiden to Cate. In actuality, Cate didn't crave womanly companionship, so Vanyssa was more a lady in waiting to Thea. Even Arlette didn't want any. She only called upon serving women to do her hair.

Thea, on the other hand, had three ladies in waiting. Fianna Mollen, Vanyssa Poole, and Kemma Cerwyn. The entire lot of them enjoyed giggling and sewing and always wore bright colors, and not the ones of their houses.

"Coming," Cate replied, and followed Vanyssa out of the Godswood, ignoring when she started cursing the dirt that got on dress. "This color is from Pentos. They call it 'coral'. Isn't it lovely? And now it'll be dirt. A dirt dress!"

When Cate finally reached her mother, the rest of the children were there. "We can start now, mother," Ed replied. Annablyth brushed her hands on her snow colored gown, smiled at Robb, and said, "We know that you expected Princess Aerri to arrive today, but she had to attend some business,"

"What business?" Cate snorted. "She's a princess, she doesn't have business," The Queen sent a sharp look to her daughter, and let her husband explain. "Princess Aerri was delayed at Dragonstone, which she rules in her own right,"

"Is she alright?" Arlette asked, batting her elongated eyelashes. "Little much, sis," Cate whispered. The redhead glared at her older sister. "Princess Aerri is fine, just preoccupied. That's all we know. We don't know if she'll come or not,"

Thea huffed. "Can I go now? I have some lessons to attend too,"

"Yes yes," Robb said, waving his hand and turning back to the desk. The Stark children quickly dispersed, leaving Cate thinking,_ Will I ever see a dragon?_


End file.
